1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to a measurement probe detachably connected to a bio-optical measurement apparatus for measuring optical characteristics of body tissues. The disclosure also relates to a bio-optical measurement system.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, a bio-optical measurement system has been known which irradiates the body tissues with illumination light and estimates characteristics (property) of the body tissues based on a measured value of return light reflected or scattered from the body tissues. The bio-optical measurement system includes an optical measurement apparatus having a light source for irradiating the body tissues with the illumination light and a detection unit for detecting the return light from a measuring target and a measurement probe detachably connected to the optical measurement apparatus and for irradiating the body tissues with irradiation light and receiving the return light from the body tissues.
The measurement probe includes a fiber unit having an illuminating fiber and a light receiving fiber. The illuminating fiber is connected to the light source at one end thereof and is configured to irradiate the body tissues with the illumination light from the other end thereof. The light receiving fiber is connected to the detection unit at one end thereof and is configured to receive, at the other end thereof, return light from the body tissues irradiated by the illuminating fiber.
In the bio-optical measurement system, low-coherence enhanced backscattering (LEBS) is used in which the characteristics of the body tissues is detected by irradiating the body tissues with white low-coherent light having a short space coherence length from the distal end of the illuminating fiber of the measurement probe and measuring an intensity distribution of the scattered light of a plurality of angles by using a plurality of light receiving fibers (refer to WO 2007/133684).
Here, in the above-mentioned LEBS, the characteristics of the body tissues is detected in a state where the distal end face of the measurement probe is brought into contact with the body tissues (contact object). Therefore, a technique in which the distal end face of the measurement probe is surely brought into contact with the body tissues has been required.
A measurement probe is disclosed in which the distal end can be strongly pushed to the body tissues by providing a bellows-shaped elastic member at the distal end of the measurement probe as a member for surely bringing the distal end face of the measurement probe into contact with the body tissues (refer to JP 05-103773 A).